Kicker announcement won’t affect State School Fund

The continued strength of the economy means that $463.5 million will be sent back to taxpayers in the form of refunds with their 2017 taxes, filed in 2018. The corporate kicker will send $111 million to K-12 education, as mandated by a 2012 ballot measure.

Although slightly larger than the May economic forecast anticipated, both kickers were expected and built into the budget. Predictions of a personal kicker lowered the amount legislators had available to spend when making the K-12 education budget but the actual kicker will not affect the 2017-19 State School Fund, according to Paul Warner of the Legislative Revenue Office.

In a poll conducted this year by OSBA, 61 percent of Oregonians supported eliminating the kicker and using extra revenues for K-12 education.

In Wednesday’s report to legislators, state economists say the forecast continues to look good for the next biennium. Ongoing economic growth will give legislators more spending flexibility for the short session in February.